Overwatch 2's Blizzard Welcomes Rivalry with Marvel Game

Marvel Rivals, since its unveiling, has drawn inevitable comparisons to Overwatch. Superficially, the similarities are striking: both are competitive multiplayer hero shooters, with Marvel Rivals employing Marvel characters where Overwatch uses its own roster. Both share similar mechanics and gameplay. Furthermore, both are free-to-play, live-service titles reliant on new character additions to maintain player engagement.

Marvel Rivals' explosive popularity since its December launch has fueled speculation about a corresponding decline in Overwatch 2's player base. The prevailing narrative suggests NetEase's Marvel Rivals is actively drawing players away from Blizzard's title.

In a recent GamesRadar interview, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller acknowledged this new competitive landscape, unprecedented in Overwatch's history, with a directly comparable competitor attracting tens of millions of players.

Overwatch 2's Response

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Keller described the situation as "exciting," praising Marvel Rivals for taking established Overwatch concepts in "a different direction." However, he admitted Marvel Rivals' success has prompted a significant shift in Blizzard's approach to Overwatch 2, declaring, "this is no longer about playing it safe."

Consequently, Blizzard announced sweeping changes for Overwatch 2 in 2025. While the roadmap includes expected new content, core gameplay will undergo a major overhaul, introducing hero perks and the return of loot boxes.

The success of these changes in revitalizing Overwatch 2 remains to be seen. Nearly nine years after the original Overwatch's 2016 debut, and two and a half years since Overwatch 2's launch, Blizzard doesn't publicly release player numbers. However, Steam concurrent player counts for Overwatch 2 are at an all-time low since its 2023 launch on the platform, peaking at 37,046 in the last 24 hours.

In contrast, Marvel Rivals remains a Steam top 10 title, with a 24-hour peak of 310,287 concurrent players.

Marvel Rivals Tier List: Best Heroes

Overwatch 2 maintains a "mostly negative" user review rating on Steam, having briefly held the title of Steam's worst-reviewed game in August 2023. Criticism largely centers on monetization practices following the controversial transition from a premium model to a free-to-play sequel, rendering the original Overwatch unplayable in 2022. Further controversies, including the cancellation of the anticipated PvE Hero mode – a key selling point for the sequel – fueled negative player sentiment.

IGN offers further coverage of Marvel Rivals, including developer responses to datamining concerns and speculation about a potential Nintendo Switch 2 release.